Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not believe that it has any place in healthcare in this country. With that said, I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As always, she is very welcome. This is a key commitment in the programme for Government. It is a pity that successive Governments did not deal with this issue and facilitate the building of a new national maternity hospital on a greenfield site which had no hand, act or connection with any religious bodies whatsoever. It is fair to say that the nuns and the religious bodies played a key role in providing healthcare when the State did not step up to the plate and provide it. Over the past 40 years, however, the State has incrementally improved the level of healthcare it is providing. Unfortunately, when it comes to maternity care and reproductive care, we fall far short. This project, which is probably going to cost €1 billion, if not more, should have been done years ago. It has to be done now, but it must also be done right. There is no reason St. Vincent’s Hospital Healthcare Group should not gift this site to the State so that we can clear up all the issues to do with ownership. There is no reason whatsoever that cannot happen, but it is not happening. I was most disappointed with the statement from the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group last week which threw confusion and ambiguity into the waters, instead of the type of clarity which one would have expected.

The Catholic Church and any religious ethos can have no influence, ever, in respect of the services and the governance of the National Maternity Hospital. I have heard commentary that we must prevent undue influence. I do not know why people would even suggest that any influence of any kind is appropriate, because it is not. We must completely detach any religious ethos of any kind or any denomination from having any future role in the National Maternity Hospital. There should have been no need for a Mulvey report because we should not have been in that position in the first place. Like the Minister of State, however, I want to see this essential facility, which the women of Ireland have been deprived of for generations, built as quickly as possible. I welcome that the Minister for Health is engaging with the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group to devise and identify a workable solution. However, that workable solution must ensure total independence regarding the governance and the services provided in the new national maternity hospital. It would be ideal if we had ownership of the site as well.

Let us get the hospital built. That is what needs to happen now. In future, however, we may need to look at a constitutional referendum in this country to take ownership of the site so that in 50 or 100 years' time no future representatives from a future St. Vincent's Healthcare Group can try to create a scenario where there is undue influence. We cannot have any of that kind of influence. We must, however, ensure that the facility is built as quickly as possible. A significant amount of taxpayers' money has been committed to this project and spent. The project, though, must go ahead.I take seriously the statements by clinicians that it will be independent, the governance of it will be independent and the services which are legally available in maternity hospitals will continue to be available. However, there is concern and that concern has to be dealt with. The Government and the Minister have a duty to ensure that in all circumstances they can stand over the independence of the hospital before the country spends €1 billion on a site which is not ideal.

As I said at the beginning of my remarks, the ideal site would be a greenfield site which we would own, control and manage and the taxpayers and citizens of this country would have full control and influence over the maternity hospital. Unfortunately, because of the inaction of previous Governments and the failure of previous Governments to deal with this issue, we are in the situation we are in today.